Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1887-07-23
A MAsrERLY ADDRESS
That Gtven By Br. Edwards, Of a.
IfnsG~. Before the National Edacz-
xEnxmH A~marGmKtam.

y
the two great political parties, no an
dience has ever assembled IN the Chi
eago exposition building equal in num-
hers and brilhaney to that gathered
there at the opening OF the session OF
the national educational association IL
was estimated that 1900 people, sew
eral thousand more than could find
seats, were crowded into the great hall
{ The bulk Of this marvellous throng was
composed Of sctive educational workers
E Sheldon called the meeting 10 orieE
and Mayor Roche delivered an address
Of welcome The president then intro
dueed the principal speaker Of the even
ing, Richard Edwards, LII. D., Illinois
state superintendent Of education The
subject ot 3is address was 'sThs Prob
lem Of Toby" In substance Mr.. Ed
wards said:
A careful reader Of history cannot
fail to be impressed with the fact that
every race, and IN some measure, every
generation Of men has had s sqec.al
task, has performed some sDecsal f5lue-
ton In the DEVELOPMENT of the worlds
civilization. Among the early nations
the idea of fixed government VAS by
slow steps nevel0pei From the
patriarch ruling his household to tie
emperOrs Of Assyri2, Egypt and
Babylon, the steps were taken one by
one, and al last tne idea Was established
And so Of other great ideas and The in
stItutions that embraced them. II was
the business Of one race 20 teach men
religion JIG was the function OF
another TO awaken the sleepy intellect
OF the world and to call INTO active exeE-
else the reason, the imagination, and
the taste of the human nlcc. Another
race and another epoch developed the
great idea OF law. The early rule had
been personal domination, but the
Roman commonwealth evolved q new
thought, and thus Jurisprudence was es-
LAblished.
These achievements Of past genera
tons We are today inheritiIfg- The
idea OF national unity comes to ITS from
the dawn Of history. The religion
Taught By Moses has spread itself ovrr
the civilized world, In substance. Greek
art and Greek thought have schOoled
mankind to love and appreciation Of
beauty and disceTnment of truth, and
the legal ma1ins that rule our courts
today are hneally derived from the Pam
dects and the Institutes. But he is q
thrlftless heir who does not improve
upon his estate. III we have taken from
our predecessors, we ought to bequeath
70 those who come after Us. 1t would
be shameful thing for this nineteenth
century tc boast of its attainments.
many OF which have been bestowed mp
on IT, and 10 do nothing toward making
the twentieth century still richer In
knowledge and virtue And 50 it is a
reasonable question for ~ 70 ask our
selves, what VIII we do TO make the
world Of tomorrow better than the world
of today?
The nineteenth century gives It's an
swer to this question. ii points to its
achievements in the conquest of the
forces of nature. The energy that re-
sides in water has been made to drive
engines and TO do the work of millions
Of men, the lightning has been tanned,
and many things that to the last century
would have been impossible miracles
nave been made q matter of common
experience. The story of the century's
achievements In applied science is far
more marvellous than the tale of the
Arabian Nights These claims of the
nineteenth century we gladly eoncede. |
but shall we not insist that there is a !
higher function thaa this control OF
outward nature? 1t is great thing 10 {
build mighty steamship, but it is a J
greater thing to mould the mind that
cannot only build steamship. but do |
even greater things than that May we 4
not say, therefore, that the great prob /
lem Of these Later decades of the nine 1
teenth century is the educational prob /
IeInE Inns Is Q critical period Of the 4
human race. Mankind are tried today i
py their very prosperity as they have /
never been tried before, and the great 4
ghestlon with us ID whether we can en- I
dure the unwOnted strain. How MANY 4
nations have succumbed to a degree Of
prosperity far less than oursl How
u nations have been crushed by far 4
lighter loads of the good things 81 Iifa
than that which is laid upon usl
l put, then, the work OF the school.
master IN its highest form as pre-erni.
nently the work Of these decades in
winch we are living. BY this / mean
not the process by which We make the
schools subserYe our outward Interests
but the process by which we make the
schools and all else subserve the inner
wants OF the man. The DEVELOPMENT az
character-that is the problem of To-
day; SO to mold, and to strengthen. and
20 ennobie the men and the women az II
TINS and coming generations, that thev
sLall not be enervated by luxury or en-
LeeDled by indulgence-thisi Is the bur-
den that is laid upon us.
Is 1t claimed that this is Iaying too /
heayy burden upon the fraternity ~
that the molding of the rising
and of the humanity of the I
y 70 nigh ideals, in opposition to
.ne numerous and mighty influences
mat antagonize such a noIdiny "a q
ask TOO difficult for any class or apv !
29IolesslonE This, indeed, SO appears /
but there never was a heroic exercise
Undertaken by man that did not involve
inLagonIsms as great The soldier who
= discouraged because the enemy is mn
neTo1s may as well lay down his arms.
md the teacher whose efforts are an,
eebled by the thought of obstacles in
as way may as well drop to the idea
~, nat ne has no reward but his salary
| ne truth Is that In all these conAicta I
ne teachers faith must sustain lin.
ierein Is for him theSource Of STRENGTH
HOW IS this body of teachers 10 ac.
SO great a task? First. bv {
eco2nizlng the significance Of H ~
high ideals. This 4 Tia
u1dsnental requisite, and this will [
ielp 10 secure ali requisites. Tie levai !
leaded enthusiast, If he is not TO-DAY ,
master Of all the instrumentalities 10 he
Employed in his work, will be SO to-rnor.
ow. The works that men do NAV he
IIvlded into two classes- the permanent
nd the transient. Among the Latter 7
must be reckoned all the outward wort !
Il mems hands Even the PaTthenan
annot be kept intact through the CEN
nries, notwithstanding the clear and
,snI IL Al